Lamp holder, primarily for use with circuit boards



i 1%? E. A. GR'EASLEY 3,324,442

LAMP HOLDER, FRIMARILY FOR USE WITH CIRCUIT BOARDS Filed Jan. 19, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 1 x 20! I INVENTOR 2b Eric ArThur rea ley LAMP HOLDER,PRIMARILY FOR USE WITH CIRCUIT BOARDS Filed Jan. 19 1965 June 167 E. A.GREASLEY 2 Shets-Sheet 2 12 F/a/z IN VE N TOR Eric AriMr Grmsley3,324,442 LAMP HOLDER, PRIMARILY FOR USE WITH CIRCUIT BOARDS Eric ArthurGreasley, Stapleford, England, assignor to Pressac Limited, Long Eaton,Nottingham, England, a British company Filed Jan. 19, 1965, Ser. No.426,578 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Jan. 31, 1954,4,183/64 2 Claims. (Cl. 33917) This invention relates to a lamp holderintended primarily for use with printed, die stamped or etched circuitboards.

More particularly, the invention is concerned with a holder for a lampof the kind usually termed a baseless electric lamp which normallycomprises a flattened glass pinch along and from which extend lead-inwires which coact with contacts on the holder for engaging appropriateparts of a printed circuit.

According to the present invention there is provided an electric lampholder for a lamp of the kind referred to and intended for fitment tocircuit board which comprises a two-part molding of synthetic plasticmaterial, which are adapted to be interconnected and interlocked as asnap fit, one of said parts being formed with a cavity for receivingsaid flattened glass pinch of the lamp and also with looking tongueswhich can be engaged in complementary slots in the other of said parts,this other part being formed with one or more lamp-retaining projectionsfor engaging in notches or recesses in the flattened glass pinch of thelamp, the first-mentioned part of the holder being fitted with a pair ofspringy electrically conductive contacts which co-act respectively withcomplementary leadin wires on the pinch of the lamp and each of which isformed with a bowed or other suitably shaped portion which spring-loadsthe pinch of the lamp to maintain said lamp-retaining projections inengagement with the notches or recesses in the pinch of the lamp.

To enable the invention to be clearly understood a preferred embodimentthereof will now be described by way of example with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through the lamp holder taken on the lineII of FIGURE 2 and indicating a lamp in chain-dotted outline.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view.

FIGURE 3 is a side view.

FIGURE 4 is an inverted plan view.

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are a vertical section, a plan view and a side viewrespectively of one part of the assembly. FIGURES 8, 9 and 10 aresimilar views of the other part of the assembly and FIGURES 11, 12 and13 respectively are side, end and plan views of a contact.

Referring firstly to FIGURES 1 to 4, the lamp holder comprises two parts1 and 2 made as moldings of synthetic plastic material, and the part 1is formed with a cavity 1a in which is received a flattened glass pinch3 of a lamp 4 of the kind usually termed a baseless electrical lamp. Thepart 1, as clearly shown in FIGURE 1, and 8 to 10, is formed at itsmouth with a surrounding ledge formed with a pair of upstanding lockingtongues 6 formed adjacent to their lower ends with shoulders 7 (see FIG.8), and which tongues 6 are engageable through slots 8 in the floor 8aof the second part 2. The arrangement is such that when the tongues 6 ofthe part 1 are inserted through the slots 8 of the part 2 from below,the tongues 6 when fully inserted through the slots 8 snap outwardly sothat the shoulders 7 engage over the floor 8a of the part 2 adjacent tosaid slots 8 as clearly shown in FIGURE 1.

The floor 8a of the part 2 is formed with an opening 9 through which canbe inserted the flattened glass pinch 3 of a lamp 4 and the floor 8a ofthe part 2 is also formed 3,324,442 Patented June 6, 1967 at oppositesides and ends with downwardly and inwardly directed projections 10which constitute lamp retaining projections which engage in notches orrecesses 11 (FIG- URE 1) preformed in the upper end of the flattenedglass pinch 3 of the lamp.

The said recesses or notches 11 of the lamp are yieldingly urged intoengagement with the lamp-retaining projections 10 by bowed parts 12 of apair of springy electrically conductive contacts 13 illustratedseparately in FIGS. 11 to 13, the bowed part 12 of each spring exertinga sideways thrust on the bulb to enable the projections Ill of the part2, and which extend into the cavity In of the part 1, to engage in thelamp reces or groove 11 with a snap action. The springy contacts 13 makeelectrical contact with lead-in wires extending from the glass pinch 3and each contact comprises a base portion 14 from one side of which thebowed part 12 extends vertically and from the other side of whichextends a vertical limb 15 which terminate in an outwardly and slightlyupwardly inclined limb 16 which is sandwiched and insulated between theledge 5 and the floor 8a of the part 2 and terminates at its outer endin a contact 17 which engages a conductor 11 of a circuit board 12 shownin FIG. 1 only.

In use, the lamp holder is inserted through a slotted opening in aprinted circuit board 12 and is then turned about its axis to lock itsecurely to said board the latter being disposed between a lowerflange-like portion 212 of the part 2 and diametrically opposed hollowportions 20 having tapered or cam shaped lower edges 2d. Preferably, theupper face of the flange 2b is formed with tapered portions 2e which arecomplementary to the surfaces 2d of the parts 20 to ensure that the lampholder become tightly clamped to the printed circuit board 12.

I claim:

1. An electric lamp holder for a baseless electric lamp having aflattened glass pinch formed with notches therein, the holder comprisinga two-part molding of synthetic plastic material consisting of first andsecond parts, the first part having a cavity for receiving the pinch ofsaid lamp, locking tongues on said first part and complementary slots inthe second part through which the tongues of the first part can bepassed and interlocked with the second part as a snap fit, the secondpart being formed with lamp-retaining projections for engagement withthe notches in the pinch of the lamp, a pair of springy electricallyconductive contacts fitted to the first part, each contact comprising aportion housed in the said cavity for co-acting with complementarylead-in wires on the pinch of the lamp, the portion of each contact inthe cavity having a bowed part for spring-loading the pinch of the lampto maintain the retaining projections of the second part in engagementwith the notches in the lamp, the contacts also comprising portionswhich extend to the outside of the holder for engagement with a circuitboard.

2. An electric lamp holder as claimed in claim 1, including a lockingflange and locking members on the second part for gripping said circuitboard.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,475,243 7/1949 Irrgang 339l96 X3,017,599 1/1962 Loesch 339-l27 3,253,249 5/1966 Hess et al 339127 OTHERREFERENCES Uberbacher, E. IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin; October1963, pages 59 and 60.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner. ALFRED A. TRASK, Examiner.

1. AN ELECTRIC LAMP HOLDER FOR A BASELESS ELECTRIC LAMP HAVING AFLATTENED GLASS PINCH FORMED WITH NOTCHES THEREIN, THE HOLDER COMPRISINGA TWO-PART MOLDING OF SYNTHETIC PLASTIC MATERIAL CONSISTING OF FIRST ANDSECOND PARTS, THE FIRST PART HAVING A CAVITY FOR RECEIVING THE PINCH OFSAID LAMP, LOCKING TONGUES ON SAID FIRST PART AND COMPLEMENTARY SLOTS INTHE SECOND PART THROUGH WHICH THE TONGUES OF THE FIRST PART CAN BEPASSED AND INTERLOCKED WITH THE SECOND PART AS A SNAP FIT, THE SECONDPART BEING FORMED WITH LAMP-RETAINING PROJECTIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITHTHE NOTCHES IN THE PINCH OF THE LAMP, A PAIR OF SPRINGY ELECTRICALLYCONDUCTIVE CONTACTS FITTED TO THE FIRST PART, EACH CONTACT COMPRISING APORTION HOUSED IN THE SAID CAVITY FOR CO-ACTING WITH COMPLEMENTARYLEAD-IN WIRES ON THE PINCH OF THE LAMP, THE PORTION OF EACH CONTACT INTHE CAVITY HAVING A BOWED PART FOR SPRING-LOADING THE PINCH OF THE LAMPTO MAINTAIN THE RETAINING PROJECTIONS OF THE SECOND PART IN ENGAGEMENTWITH THE NOTCHES IN THE LAMP, THE CONTACTS ALSO COMPRISING PORTIONSWHICH EXTEND TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE HOLDER FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A CIRCUITBOARD.